Land Ho!

Japan. I wish I could enjoy it a little more. Being stuck on this ship is killing me. Every day I’m here, I die a little more. I’m being a little dramatic, but it’s partially true. It’s harder and harder to maintain my drive. Free time is so limited that I sometimes lose the motivation to study. I’ve been keeping up with it pretty well, but there are times when I just don’t have it in me. I hate this place. Nay, I loathe it. Bottom line. It’s such a terrible emotion to give into, but I feel somewhat defeated. Am I really? No. But I feel like I am.

I haven’t written in a while because I just don’t have the time to do so. I haven’t even finished going through the 607 photos I had so far, just from Guam and one Japanese port. I gained a little bit of life back during my days off in Sasebo, Japan. I felt alive. My spirit was revived. I was so thankful and appreciative to be there. People had complained that there was nothing to do there. Wrong. Maybe if you’re just looking for strippers and clubs. Then I could see that. Fortunately, neither are my thing. I found plenty to do and I’m irritated that I was unable to do it all and now I probably won’t be afforded that opportunity thanks to the morons I work with. LOVE IT.

It was nice to finally be adventuring again. There’s a lot I want to write about, so bear with me. I’ll try not to drag on too much, and hopefully it flows somewhat.

The first night I was there I went out with a few guys, got some great food and drink, and just explored the nearby area without venturing out too far. I didn’t have too much time because Japan is highly restrictive, but it was nice to be out. I try my best to make the best of each port visit. A couple of us ate at one of those hole in the wall restaurants, maybe slightly bigger, and enjoyed a nice meal. That meal was of course accompanied with some sake. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Nothing too much, just enough. When in Japan, do as the Japanese do. We later went to another place and I got some sushi as recommended by another group of friends we ran into. They made it right in front of us and served it with some green tea. It was all awesome.

My brain is on very few hours of sleep due to work of course, so I’m having a hard time thinking and keeping my thoughts flowing. I’ll come back to this later.

And…we’re back. 9/7/14. I also ate at this pretty cool, traditional sit down restaurant. When I say sit down, I mean you actually sat on the floor either in a sitting or kneeling position. Personally, I don’t recommend knees. There, I ate all kinds of little things – different types of kebabs and things of that nature. My favorite was this pork wrapped in a fried egg, more like an omelet. Fricken delicious.

I'll come back to that scene later.

The next day was dedicated entirely to wandering. I set out with a group of buddies and we couldn’t really figure out where to go or what to do. Because of this dilemma, we allowed the little green man on the traffic lights to guide us. That’s right, are you familiar with this little green man? Well, it’s different depending on where you are, but he notifies pedestrians when it’s safe to walk. There was way too many crosswalks and different routes to take, so we simply allowed this little green man to guide us. We didn’t press any buttons. Whichever light he showed up on first, that’s the path we followed. Sometimes this meant crossing back to the other side of the street. Seemed logical enough.

Anyways, it worked out. We had a pretty great day in my opinion. When this game got boring, we set up shop in this outside mall for a short while, jumped on the, actually fast (for once), Wi-Fi and looked into different options. Sasebo is somewhat limited at first glance, but there are definitely some cool places to go with a little research. I didn’t have enough time to go to all the places I wanted to, but sh*t happens.

After spending a little time there, I discovered a few temples that weren’t too far out of our reach. So, we set off. Directions got hazy without the Wi-Fi connection. We walked for quite a while, and still hadn’t found the place. Ended up discovering this martial arts school, though. Some old man with spoke some broken English with us and invited us in. We politely declined, but did manage to get directions from him to the temple we were looking for. That guy was the man, but his directions were way off. They just led us into some residential back road.

Well, we pushed on. A little while later, we stopped at this little grocery store and picked up some ice cream and drinks. I gotta say, the Asians know their ice cream. They do things that Americans only dream of. I don’t know who’s in charge of it all, but they seem to be way ahead of the curve.

While eating our frozen snacks, I was looking for people that might speak some English. I tried one, but if she knew any, she denied it. Ok, I wasn’t going to ask everyone and their mothers about directions. Had to be a little smarter about this. Hmm. Who was the most likely candidate to speak English? Well, the stereotypes held true. I spotted this middle-aged man that looked somewhat intelligent and went with my gut.

After approaching him, turns out, I was right. He spoke English. Now, the difficult part was giving us directions to this temple. It wasn’t far, but he was having trouble explaining, and I was having trouble understanding. He called his wife over, and they exchanged some words. After which, the man asked me how many people I was with. There were 4 of us total, so this stranger actually offered to simply give us a ride. Can you believe it? I was fairly shocked. I’m pretty sure the Japanese are known for their generosity, but this was beyond anything I had expected. I mean, what if we were serial murderers? And we outnumbered him 4-1. The guy was out of his mind, and I was truly appreciative of it.

The four of us piled into his little fuel-efficient car, like the majority of cars that I’ve seen in Japan, and took off. We reached our destination in just a few short minutes. What a guy! I thanked him multiple times, and I didn’t believe that he was going to accept, and didn’t want to offend him, but nonetheless offered him money. He kindly refused and that was that. Lesson learned.

There wasn’t much in the temple, but it was still cool. We caught glimpses of one or two people once or twice inside, but they soon vanished entirely. It was all kind of strange. In a sense, it seemed like a house on the one side. We were just left to come and go as we please. I guess they weren’t worried about it. We even got a little bold and crept into the back. You are required to take your shoes off, so stealthy creeping was made easier for us.

There, we discovered countless little vases and small bowls and things – all ashes of the dead. That’s right. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I even equipped the flash gear on my camera, and went back for more. I had to get some shots of the back. Totally acceptable, right? It’s like I always say, sometimes you need to play that role that we are so blessed with as the ignorant American. If it can be used to our advantage, so be it. I certainly don’t mean abuse that role. But maybe, like in this situation, you’re unsure if you are able to enter an area, well, sometimes you just need to go for it and deal with the apologies later. That’s my occasional method anyways.

From there, we were trying to find another temple. Most of my time in Sasebo and Nagasaki, as a matter of fact, was spent wandering from temple to temple. The group and I ended up coming across some other place. No idea what it was. It had a large traditional gate, so it seemed somewhat accessible. Again, we wandered in the back which may or may not have been acceptable. I don’t even know what the place was so I’m not sure I can be held accountable for trespassing. Well, I probably could have been. It seemed public, though. The back had this awesome little garden. It wasn’t the largest of the famed Japanese gardens, but the owners did a really nice job. It was just pleasant and picturesque, despite its smaller size.

Upon further inspection, our group discovered a massive cemetery on the other side of the building. We made our way over there, and wandered amongst, yep, more dead. It was intriguing, almost like stepping back into another time period. Looking at some of these stones, it made you wonder where the deceased had originated. I’m inclined to believe they were obviously of some sort of importance. It was a fairly large site with many large stones of grandeur. There were also numerous routes to get up top, at various points.

We meandered up to the top and ended up in a wooded area. So, we inadvertently got some hiking in. The only thing we found up there was a small field. Going down provided to be a bit more of a challenge. I mean, we avoided some spiders while walking up through the woods. Upon going down, however, our eyes were opened up. These spiders were at every turn, hanging from every branch, blocking our path in every direction. I don’t know how we avoided them coming up.

Well, eventually our small band of spider evaders successfully descended without incident. The sun had already begun its own descent. The group decided to head back to get cleaned up and change our clothes for a night on the town. I personally had a blast.

We started off in this awesome little sit down restaurant, near a mall called the Ginza. When I say sit down, I mean we actually had to sit on the floor. True Japanese style. It was different, and I enjoyed it. The act of actually finding a suitable restaurant took quite a while. When you’re with a group, well, you need to find something appealing to all involved, or at least the majority. This can be a challenge at times. Eventually, though, we all agreed on a place. I’m not known for being the most decisive, but in situations like this, I tend to take charge.

One of my buddies and I indulged in a beer and puffed on our stogies after eating. The cigars weren’t overly expensive, but I was impressed with their smoothness nonetheless. The whole scene was just very relaxing. I was at ease and all my troubles and worries rolled away as I slipped into the beckoning trance of smoke and alcohol.

The food was also delicious. This specific place was more keen on skewers than actual meals. I made sure to eat my fill. After all, these port excursions are essentially a form of vacation, though brief they may be. Fortunately, money is not one of my troubles these days. By no means am I wealthy or anything near the term, but I’m doing fine. Financial intellect is one of my strong points. Spending a couple years paying off a large sum of money will do that to a young man. I’m thankful for that.

In addition, I had been setting aside money every single month specifically for when my job required traveling. I have no financial obligations, so I can afford to spend a little bit of money. It’s not like I’m going out and going full moron, anyways. Food and drink, though? No problem. I will eat out every chance I have. Screw this ship. And its garbage food. I’ve cooked better meals on my own. Hard to believe, I know, but it’s sadly true.

Furthermore, if an opportunity comes about that requires spending some cash, guess what? I’m going to spend the money almost every single time, unless it’s absolutely ridiculous. I may never be in some of these foreign countries again, so you better believe I’m going to take advantage of that.

Ah, and let me tell you, purchasing this tablet was a stroke of genius. Pure genius, I tell you. Modest, right? Well, I’m serious. I had purchased the tablet prior to, with the intention of utilizing it in ports. I have a laptop as well, but that’s not something I want to be lugging around. Problems arise when I want to jump on Wi-Fi, and I have no laptop in hand. I have a phone capable of a lot of the same things, but for one, I’m not a real phone dependent kind of guy. Secondly, I don’t own one of those phone-tablet hybrids. You know what I’m talking about, and some of you may own them. I think they’re ridiculous. I’m pretty sure I could use some of them as a shield, or maybe some kind of sun protective instrument. That’s where the tablet comes in. I wanted something smaller, but just as capable as the larger ones. After trial and research, I landed on the Google Nexus 7. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT. I DO NOT WORK FOR GOOGLE. Only in my dreams.

It’s just a great device, perfect size. Everything I need is right there. Thousands upon thousands of apps. It’s light, doesn’t take up too much room, and does everything I need it to do and more. Perfect if I have some down time or need to kill some time while I’m out. And that’s just the casual side of it. I won’t even get into the real useful benefits.

Thing is, (Warning, I’m going to sound a little cocky here.) I’m just so much more prepared for this than the majority of the people I work with. I suppose that my age definitely comes into play there, but just all around. I work with some of the dumbest people, and I wish I was exaggerating. I suppose then, that this should come as no surprise. There’s no possible way that I’m as smart as I’m made out to be. I swear. I really just think everyone else (for the most part) is just that dumb.

From what I’ve seen thus far, I love Japan. Being pro-China, I had my reservations about visiting Japan It wasn’t something I was too excited about. Then again, neither was China. After just a few days experiencing Japan, however, in a town that people were not too excited about, I was so appreciative and thankful to be in Japan. They just seem so much more civilized and advanced and efficient in every aspect. From their fuel efficient vehicles, which I previously mentioned, to their toilets with music and all kinds of other functions – they are clearly a more forward-thinking culture. They are respectful and polite. From what I’ve seen thus far, they’re not loud or rude, and even have rules against such things. I just find their civilization to be very unique. I noticed that they pay attention to everything, even designs in something as simple as a guard rail. Their attention to detail is astounding. I also find them to be very peaceful and tranquil. History would say otherwise, but I’m at peace when I’m ashore and exploring. It’s just amazing, in my opinion. I wouldn’t mind being stationed here at all. There’s so much to see, and oh, the photography? Forget about it. Opportunities abound everywhere. My travels here have been brief, so I don’t know how true these observations would hold if given more time in this strange place.

Those moments of happiness have been few and far in between. When they occur, everything else is forgotten. I even say to myself, ‘I can deal with this. It was all worth it for this.’ Those insights are soon forgotten the minute I set foot back on this hideous ship, and I’m right back to being utterly miserable. I find myself wondering if I’ve ever really been truly happy, for more than just those fleeting, sporadic time periods. I have yet to arrive at a place in my life that will be more permanent. I suppose I have to accept that perhaps that will never happen. Who knows. Things always appear to be just temporary. It is entirely possible, though, that they are all leading up to something more stable. Time will tell.

Back to some actual things I did. I did make my way over to Nagasaki by train. It was about $26 roundtrip. I did not, however, see any of the bomb sites or museums. I kind of regret that. However, I was with someone that was going on a tour the next day that was going to visit those very things. I could have ignored that, but I took them into consideration. Once again, we run into the issues of being forced to travel with others. It’s not entirely on your own time. You have to consider what others want to do, and figuring that out consumes enough time in itself. Where I may want to stay and take photos or whatever, others are ready to move on. And vice versa. Traveling together has its advantages, as well as its disadvantages. Ultimately, I just try to find people that have similar interests as my own. Still difficult, but there’s only so much you can do. I do miss my solo-dolo traveling of the past, but sometimes it’s nice to have some company.

In Nagasaki, we pretty much just wandered around and found many different temples. Neat, but I was templed out by the end of the day. We decided to visit a Chinatown that the map I possessed, boasted to be one of the best in Japan. Well, that’s not saying much then. It was garbage. Literally. It was all the junk that you can find in China, set up in a small area. It wasn’t even like Chinatowns in the U.S. I guess that’s what we get for going to a Chinatown in Japan. There weren’t even any Chinese people. What a joke. Chinatown my ass.

The train ride back from Nagasaki was a little shorter of a ride. It took about 2 hours to get there, and about an hour and a half to get back. Totally worth it, but again, there were some things I wish I could have seen. I’m not huge on museums so might have skipped those, but still. It’s cool, though. Wandering is always fun. Scratch that word always.

During the train ride to and from, I had my buddy lifting the window here and there so that I could capture I few shots. I attempted a rush shot on the way back, and I’d say I almost got the picture I wanted. I had to put on an adapter and change the lens, so it wasn’t the easiest of tasks. I also held off for a minute or two before I decided to go for it. Hesitation, that heartless wench will get you every time.

Due to a recent incident, we’ve been confined to the base on our most recent port calls. It sucks. They just keep taking, taking, and taking. And I’m slowly breaking, breaking, and breaking. I’ve almost felt like I’ve hit my breaking point on several occasions, yet something has kept me going. I know I’m close to getting assigned elsewhere, though it’s entirely possible and likely that I’ll stay in San Diego. I’m hoping otherwise. If I stayed on the West coast, I wouldn’t mind Washington. Other than that, send me back to the East coast or send me overseas. Or let me out. Just let me go free. No hard feelings, you know? Come on.

Warning: Thinking aloud occurring on paper = happening. I have to constantly remind myself that there may be a greater good and this may all lead to something. I’ve always felt like I was going to be part of something bigger one day, that my life will have a little more meaning. Maybe I’ve undervalued the journey. Then again, who am I kidding? I’m currently a glorified janitor, relishing the thought of inevitable escape. If at all there appears an opportunity for me to get out sooner than later, I will absolutely take full advantage of that.

What are the possible lessons I could learn here? How to work for idiots? Funny thing. One of my buddies recently purchased – scratch that. Two of my buddies recently purchased a book entitled ‘How to Work For an Idiot’. Oh man, that’s at the top of my list for upcoming purchases. I could go on and on about the potential lessons that I could be learning, but who fricken knows. Honestly.

There’s still a few places on the horizon that I’m looking forward to visiting. Hopefully we’ll have full access to them and I can remove myself from this floating, concrete prison, if only for a short while.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. It’s brimming with positivity and blissful happiness, so I have no doubt you did.